31 Days Project // Day 7 // 5 Ways to stay productive (even when the sky is falling)

Welcome to 31 Days to an Organized Life & Business! For the month of October I will be a participant in The Nester’s 31 days Writing Challenge. Taking some of my own advice and taking you along on my journey to a life reset. I’ll be sharing (and practicing) some tips on everything from bookkeeping, shopping, managing kids, intentional parenting, work from home mom syndrome, work/life balance, spiritual reset and more. Not because I am the expert in these fields, but because they have worked for me in the past, and I so badly need them to work again for me now.

When I say I need this reset I’m not even kidding. When I say I’ll be writing about it, I don’t mean, I’m going to talk about past advice or something that worked once for me 3 years ago. I mean I’m going to hit publish on this blog post, and then go and do what I am writing about today.  That is all I can commit to for today. Which means, if you can relate to any of this, I invite you along on this 31 day journey. Watch me triumph or fail, but I’ll be here daily to give you updates. I’d love if you joined me, and keep me posted on your progress as well. There’s hope and support in community here. 

If you missed Day 1, or would like to catch up on any other day, click the link on the right hand side or right here.

Be sure to also follow along on Instagram as I post updates throughout the day. #31daystoreset @Angelsea Urban

Thanks for visiting!

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WELCOME TO DAY 7: 5 ways to Stay Productive / Even when the sky is falling

It was one of those days yesterday. I barely made it out alive! Ok maybe I’m being SUPER dramatic, but don’t we feel like that sometimes? Everyone needs something, now, and you are running in a million directions, maybe feeling unfocused, distracted, defeated and like a complete failure. Maybe your kid (ahem) left the soccer field crying because a teammate scored a goal during practice instead of your kid. Totally hypothetically of course. Also hypothetically, maybe you just go in the closet and close the door “getting dressed” for longer than necessary… just because it’s quiet? No? hmm… ok then…

Some days I wake up and feel like I can conquer the world. I’ve got my list and I’m not afraid to use it so WATCHOUT!

Other days I feel like a failure. Pick a subject. Yep. And I will tell you ways that I have failed.

Some days I’m just tired, not even just sleepy tired (because hello), but life tired. Those are the moments that I question everything and wonder what the heck and I doing with (fill in the blank) worry at that moment.

I try not to dwell on those days. I really do try. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, admirable, lovely and worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Phil 4:8

So what is the truth? 

Am I a failure? No.

Am I defeated? No.

 

So I will choose to dwell on the things are are honorable, just, pure, admirable, lovely, and worthy of praise. 

Sometimes it does feel like the sky is falling. And if you are trying to manage anything at all, whether it’s a business plan, personal finances, children’s after school activities or just your day, having some tips of how to stay productive will help you.

Here are 5 ways to Stay Productive:

 

1. Single Tasking is the new Multi-tasking.

Be there. Whereever you are. Just be. Don’t try to do homework with your kids at the table while on your laptop answering emails. Pick one, and do that. Otherwise you’ll be accidentally emailing people details of the math problem your child is working on. Hypothetically.

But mostly because the memories you are making with your child during homework might be skewed with a laptop blocking your face.

Think about some of your favorite people in the world? When you think about them, what is the instant vision you have in your head? For one of mine would be my husband. The second I think of him, I picture him walking in the door coming home from work, because that is the first time I see him each day. Another would be my late grandmother; when I think of her, I see her standing at the stove, stirring the sauce, because that’s where I most saw her and it was engrained in my mind.

How sad would it be if I asked my kids this question and they said, “My mother, sitting at the table with her computer while we did homework.” Yikes.

So…. I am working on trying to be a single tasker. A hysterical representation on learning more about single-tasking can be found here

2. Scheduling your day

All of it. I am a huge fan of Google Calendar for a billion reasons, but one of my favorites is the ability to drag and drop blocks of time. So if you want to give yourself a 60 minute window for a project, then schedule 60 minutes. If you need to move it to another day because life happens, just drag and drop it to another time. I find that scheduling my day, not just my appointments, helps me to stay on task easier, especially if it’s not #tablessthursday and I am attempting to multi-task.

3. Alarm Apps

Talk about needy, but yes, I need to sometimes use a timer app on my phone. As an soloprenaur often working alone, this little baby has seen me through some tough times. Like editing marathons that make me want to stick needles in my eyeballs. I can set my timer for 40 minutes and know I will give myself a break to do some writing or other tasks and will come back later. I also like that that it calculates my day based on those blocks of time so I can plan do be done with my work by the time my kids get out of school. I don’t need it all of the time, but during times I feel overwhelmed with too much to do, this helps to break it down into more manageable blocks. I use the 30/30 App.

4. Get UP!

This may seem silly, but have you ever caught yourself realizing that you have not moved from your desk in 3 hours? Try to set an alarm to get up at least every 45 minutes even if it’s to walk to another room for a drink. You will come back feeling a sense of time passing which helps in keeping you motivated. Instead of thinking OH NO how is it noon already?!?!

5. Change your view

Sometimes packing up the office or project and working in a new location is the best way for productivity. Even if it’s the library, a friend’s house, a fellow colleague who also needs some water cooler talk, working from a new location even if for a few hours can help you focus on the task at hand.

 

Bonus tip: For goodness sake, block social media or at least don’t allow yourself near it when you are working. You’ll get sucked into that faster than the Polar Vortex of doom. Give yourself a peek during a lunch break if you must, but resist the urge to “pop in for just a sec” because hello, it will be an hour later and you know it’s true. I use social media for work too, and even that justification is hard to resist!

 

If this was helpful to you, let me know! If you try this system, tell me how it works for you or if you have any ideas to make it better!

Thanks for visiting today!
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Be sure to check the blog every day during the Month of October for new content. Or sign up for the VIP Newsletter for important updates.

East Coast Fine Art Lifestyle Family Portrait Photographer Angelsea Urban

Angelsea Urban is a photographer and entrepreneur helping women use their creative gifts to nourish their homes and cultivate their businesses through practical stewardship. Her unique photography work focuses on Redefining the Family Portrait Experience by telling the story of  family through personalized foundations while creating a space to strengthen family bonds throughout the experience. As a certified tax professional and seasoned business consultant, Angelsea has helped the careers of photographers, restaurateurs, musicians and general small business owners through teaching, workshops, coaching, and hands on consulting. Her ministry work focuses on fostering creative gifts in women entrepreneurs to prioritize family and discipleship. She has photographed for families, brides, Bravo TV, NFL Films, and more and has been featured on multiple blogs and magazine print for her work in photography and in business. Angelsea teaches and photographs throughout the United States, and resides with her husband of 17 years, their two children, and their barely 3 pound Yorkie near Long Beach Island, New Jersey.  

To book your session with Angelsea Urban, please visit www.angelseaurban.com

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